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Chapter 5. Children in out-of-home care

• Key steps
  1. Place a child in out-of-home care
  2. Support a child in out-of-home care
  3. Decision-making for the child
  4. Conclude an out-of-home care placement
• What ifs
• Resources

5. Children in out-of-home care

Purpose

Out-of-home care is utilised for a child when it is assessed that the separation of a child from their family is required to ensure the child's safety. Out-of-home care provides a safe, supportive and therapeutic environment for a child, while working towards either family reunification or an alternative permanency option. Out-of-home care may be provided during the investigation and assessment or ongoing intervention phases of child protection intervention.

When a child is placed in out-of-home care Child Safety Services will work with the child, their family, carers, licensed care service staff, staff from another entity and other relevant agencies, to:

• support a child through key transitions such as, moving from home to out-of-home care, changing placements and leaving care
• ensure the protection and care needs of the child are met, including their developmental needs
• assist a child to gain the skills and sense of well-being that will allow them to realise their potential and positively participate in the wider community.

Child Safety Services is responsible for monitoring out-of-home care placements to ensure that the level of care provided by carers is consistent with the statement of standards (Child Protection Act 1999, section 122), and for taking preventative action to resolve identified concerns before they escalate into matters of concern.

All children in out-of-home care will have an allocated CSO who:

• implements effective, ongoing assessment, planning, implementation and review processes in accordance with case management requirements
• participates in joint planning processes with relevant people and agencies to negotiate responsibility for case work tasks, based on the case plan goal and anticipated outcomes.

For information about the processes and phases underpinning out-of-home care, refer to the practice resource Out-of-home care - an integrated child protection response.

Please note: Throughout this chapter, the term carer will refer to approved carers, licensed care service staff and staff from another entity, unless otherwise specified.

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Key steps

1. Place a child in out-of-home care
2. Support a child in out-of-home care
3. Decision-making for the child
4. Conclude an out-of-home care placement

What ifs - responding to specific out-of-home care matters

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Standards

1. The placement matching process is undertaken to determine the placement option that will best meet and respond to the child’s needs.
2. A child is encouraged to participate in decision-making processes and is kept informed of matters affecting them, to the extent possible based on their age and ability to understand.
3. Consideration is given, as a first option, to placing a child with kin.
4. The placement of an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander child occurs in accordance with the Child Protection Act 1999, section 83.
5. When making a significant decision about an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander child, the recognised entity is invited to participate in the decision-making process.
6. Out-of-home care placements are monitored to ensure that the level of care provided by carers is consistent with the statement of standards (Child Protection Act 1999, section 122).
7. Decisions about custody and guardianship matters are actioned in a timely way, so as not to compromise the child’s right to access services that meet their needs or to participate in activities of importance to them.
8. Supports for the child, including the child health passport, education support plan and transition from care, are integrated into case planning and review processes.

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Practice skills (Key areas for reflection)

• Have I genuinely consulted and actively included the child in decision-making processes?
• Have I talked with the child about their rights as a child in care?
• Have I considered and identified the transitions experienced, or to be experienced, by the child and how can I support the child through these transitions?
• Have I identified the child’s needs and strategies to ensure these needs continue to be met?
• Have I assisted the child to develop and maintain their cultural identity and identified strategies to enable the child’s family and community to participate in this process?
• Have I engaged with the child, their parents and other people significant to the child as part of managing the case?

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Authority

• Child Protection Act 1999, section 5, 6, 12-13, 51C, 51V, 61, 73-75, 82, 83-91, 122, 148, 159, 159B, 159M-159N, 187-188, 188B-189 and 247
• Child Protection Amendment Regulation (no. 1) 2006 (PDF 201 KB), section 7-8, 10-11 and 12
• Children Services Tribunal Act 2000 (PDF 569 KB), section 6 and 7
• Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian Act 2000 (PDF 1.2 MB), section 15
• Policy No. 395-2: Administrative Access to Child Safety Records
• Policy No. 361-4: Child Death Case Review Policy and Procedures
• Policy No. 597-1: Child Related Costs - Carer Support
• Policy No. 598-2: Child Related Costs - Client Support and Family Contact
• Policy No. 599-1: Child Related Costs - Education Support
• Policy No. 596-1: Child Related Costs - Medical
• Policy No. 600-1: Child Related Costs - Outfitting
• Policy No. 595-1: Child Related Costs - Travel
• Policy No. 295-5: Complaints Management
• Policy No. 400-1: Complex Support Needs Allowance - Funded Specialist Foster Care Services
• Policy No. 391-3: Critical Incident Reporting
• Policy No. 420-1: Decision making about end of life medical treatment of a child in out-of-home care, in circumstances where their life is threatened due to illness or trauma
• Policy No. 365-4: Expenses - Fortnightly Caring Allowance and Inter-state foster payments
• Policy No. 296-2: High Support Needs Allowance
• Policy No. 359-3: Infection control
• Policy No. 403-2: Information exchange and service delivery coordination
• Policy No. 421-1: Obligations, actions and responsibilities upon the death of a child in out-of-home care
• Policy No. 369-1: Participation in Decision-making - Children and Young People in Alternative Care
• Policy No. 578-1: Placement of children in care as part of an integrated child protection response
• Policy No.604-1: Positive Behaviour Support
• Policy No. 372-2: Recordkeeping
• Policy No. 289-3: Respite Placements and Dual Fostering Allowance
• Policy No.603-1: Specific Response Care
• Policy No.602-1: Transitional placements (including emergent accommodation) and flexible funding
• Policy No. 349-3: Transition from Care
• Recordkeeping: Client File Procedure

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